Loony to the rescue
by brigrove
Summary: Harry Potter is dead and Hermione knows that only a slightly crazy Ravenclaw can save him


"**Loony to the Rescue" **

**Chapter One**

**By Brian Grove **

**Brian at rescueddoggies dot com**

**Disclaimer – I still don't own Harry Potter. Damnit!**

_*REMEMBER*_ Below the author's notes on the most recent chapter, is a short resume, "The story so far".

Help with "Britishisms"? "thesiteofbrian DOT com SLASH cultural" or see link in my profile.

**In the previous chapter...**

** There is no previous chapter.**

JULY 1996

Hermione answered her front door to find Professor McGonagall, but a Professor McGonagall as she'd never seen her before.

"Professor McGonagall, are you all right?" Hermione asked, seeing the normally-stern professor's face marked with the tell-tale red marks of tears. "What brings you here?"

Her hand shaking, the professor handed Hermione a note written on a scrap of paper, obviously torn from a book. Only the serious look on the professor's face prevented her from asking who'd damage a book in that way.

_"To Hermione, Ron and the members of the D.A.,_

_ As you've probably read in the Prophet, I led some of the D.A. into a disastrous battle in the Department of Mysteries. Some of them were injured and Sirius Black, my Godfather, who was an innocent man, died because he followed me._

_ Dumbledore says there's a prophecy that I'm the only one who can beat Voldemort. That can't be true. All I do is get people around me killed. My parents, Cedric, now Sirius. It's only a matter of time before I get you all killed. Perhaps if Voldemort knows I'm dead, he won't attack my friends any more. My uncle is right, I'm a dangerous freak and you'd all be better off without me._

_ Goodbye_

_ Harry Potter, no longer The-Boy-Who-Lived."_

"Harry!" cried Hermione, is a broken voice she didn't recognise as her own.

"Potter, er, Harry's dead," said Professor McGonagall, "He jumped in front of a train, but I think you can save him."

"How? There's no spell that can bring back the dead."

"Remember this?" the professor asked, bringing something out from behind her back.

"A Time Turner. But I thought they were all destroyed in the Ministry."

"They were," Professor McGonagall confirmed.

"Then how?"

"This is the one you used in your third year. I don't know why, but something made me pretend it had been lost or destroyed when you rescued Sirius Black. I've kept it ever since. You have to go back and stop Harry doing this."

"But professor, I know he's dead. I can't go back and change that. It has to be someone who doesn't know."

Professor McGonagall looked downcast. "I'm not thinking. Of course you can't go back now. I just thought that he'd listen to you. Oh, what was that man doing sending him back to those people after what happened?"

"Where is Dumbledore?" Hermione asked angrily, very obviously missing the title of Professor.

"Away at a conference in New Zealand and complaining about having to go in their winter probably," she replied. "I called him. He said he'll return as soon as he can."

"So that's why you found out."

The professor nodded. "Arabella Figg called me. It was gossip all round Privet Drive. We've only got a few hours left. It happened last night. I only found out this morning."

"And the timeturners only go back a maximum of twenty four hours," Hermione finished for her.

"I've been stupid. I shouldn't have shown you that letter. Now I can't imagine who I can send back. He never really listens to anyone but you. I guess that finishes it."

"What do you mean?"

"That's what the Headmaster said when I told him that Harry was dead. Apparently it's true. There was some kind of prophecy that Harry was the only one who could defeat You-Know-Who."

"Prophecy?" Hermione looked sceptical.

"Yes, I know. You know I don't think much of divination. But the Headmaster seemed to believe that this prophecy was genuine. More to the point, apparently You-Know-Who believed it."

"So that's why he's always after Harry."

"It seems so. Well, if it is true, we've lost."

Hermione thought for a minute. "After Sirius died and some of us were hurt, he was really bad. Luna spoke to him and he seemed better after that."

Professor McGonagall reacted rather as Hermione had expected, a look of disbelief.

"If what you say is true, we've nothing to lose," Hermione pointed out.

"I'm not sure I can ask her to go back. The moment she starts going on about nergers and things, I'll..."

"Nargles," Hermione corrected.

"What?"

"They're called Nargles. I didn't think much of her either, when we met. But she's loyal to Harry, she went to the Ministry without a question. We wouldn't have got there without her, in fact."

"She's just so..."

Hermione smiled for the first time. "Yes. Isn't she?"

"But can we persuade her to go back?"

"You know, she didn't have any friends before the D.A. I can remember what that's like. She was also bullied a lot, and as usual the school did nothing about it."

Professor McGonagall frowned, looking defensive.

"I'm just saying that Harry means a lot to her. She'll go back."

"But we can't tell her why."

"If you take me to her, I'll speak to her, She sort-of trusts me, as one of Harry's friends."

"Okay. Take my arm."

After an uncomfortable few seconds, Hermione found herself looking at a house built something like a castle, except that it made the Burrow look positively normal.

"You go in. I'll wait here. Tell her she'll have to get to him quickly. The quickest way is to floo to Mrs. Figg, then walk over to 4 Privet Drive."

"If she goes back twenty-four hours now, mightn't he have already left? She'll have to go to where it happened."

"A Muggle railway station called Earlsfield. Apparently it's not far from Little Whinging."

Hermione frowned. "I can't see Luna navigating the railway system. I'll take her there, then she can use the time-turner once we get there."

"Won't you have to tell her why?"

"I hope not."

"Okay. Here it is."

"What time did he... did it happen?"

"According to the Muggles, at around eight o'clock."

Hermione nodded, then went and knocked on the door.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Lovegood?"

He looked at her and seemed to be thinking before he replied. "You can't be selling anything, you'd never get through the wards."

"I'm Hermione, one of Harry's friends."

He brightened up at that. "Luna's upstairs."

She made her way upstairs. Luna's door was open. She was surprised to see a picture of the "Ministry Group" as they'd been labelled, together with the word, Friends. It took her a moment to recompose herself, being brought face to face with how lonely Luna had been.

"Hello, Hermione," said Luna cheerfully.

"Hi, Luna."

"Do you like my picture?"

"Huh?"

"You were looking at it."

"Oh, er, very nice."

"You seem a little strange," Luna said.

The thought crossed Hermione's mind that LUNA, of all people was saying that she was strange!

"Just thinking."

"I can go and leave you to think if you like."

"No," Hermione snapped, more forcefully than she intended. "No. Would you like to do something really important? Against Voldemort," Hermione forced herself to say the name.

"I'm sure that there must be someone better than me to do it. Why doesn't Harry do it? Or you?"

"It has to be you."

"All right."

"Aren't you going to ask me why?"

"Why should I? If I needed to know, you'd tell me."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. This was going to be easier than she thought.

"You have to come to London with me. Professor McGonagall is outside and she'll take us to the Leaky Cauldron."

"But we can floo from here."

"Yes. That's easier."

"Can we go later? I promised my dad I'd cook tonight."

"We have to go now."

"All right." Luna got up from the bed she had been sitting on.

Downstairs, she said, "I'm just going out, Dad. I'll be back sometime."

"All righty."

"Diagon Alley!"

They tumbled out of the floo in the Leaky Cauldron, Hermione already looking at her watch.

She almost ran down the Charing Cross road. She quickly got a railway map from the Information centre and found Earlsfield. "Good. Easy to get to."

"Two to Earlsfield, singles," she asked at the ticket counter.

"Change at Waterloo," said the man, passing her the ticket and her change.

Hermione quickly found the first train for Waterloo East, which was one stop down the line. She ran over the footbridge and across the road into the main Waterloo station with Luna following closely behind.

Hermione turned and ran towards the suburban side of the station, then suddenly realised that Luna was no longer behind her. Frantically she looked around, finally spotting her standing by a poster on the far side of the station.

"I always wanted to go to Paris," she said dreamily. "It says these train go there. If we have to catch a train, can we catch one of these?"

"No. They are going the wrong way."

"How do they get to France?" Luna asked. "Isn't there sea in the way? Do Muggle trains swim as well?"

In spite of her annoyance at the delay, Hermione smiled. "No, they go through a tunnel under the sea."

"That sounds dark. I don't think I'd like that."

Hermione finally managed to get Luna onto the correct platform for the train to Leatherhead, one of the many trains calling at Earlsfield.

As they boarded the train, Luna asked, "Why do you say we catch a train? It's not like it's going past and we catch it like a ball."

"Only you would think of asking that," said Hermione.

"Oh. Well, some people say I'm a bit odd," Luna admitted as if she was telling Hermione a secret.

The train pulled out, it was too busy for them to get a seat, so they had to stand. "Now, when we get to Earlsfield station, I'll give you the timeturner. You need to turn it backwards twenty four times."

"Can't I make it twenty-one? It's supposed to be luckier," asked Luna.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "No. It's very important. It has to be twenty-four times."

"Okay. What do I do then?"

"I'll take you three. Then, after you've gone back, look out for Harry somewhere around there, then take him away with you. Whatever you have to say or do, get him away from there."

"Where to?"

"It doesn't matter. Home, the Leaky Couldron, Gringotts, just away from the railway."

"Oh. I don't like Gringotts much. The goblins are all too cross-looking. Perhaps you'd better do it."

"Then don't go to Gringotts. Go where you like. Just don't let Harry out of your sight."

"I have to watch Harry."

"Yes, No. Just take him with you and look after him."

"I don't think Harry was very happy to go home," Luna said. "I don't think his relatives like him very much."

"I know. Professor Dumbledore said he needed to go back there for his protection."

"Oh. Professor Dumbledore is very clever, but I don't think he thinks about how people feel."

Hermione was once again amazed at how accurate some of Luna's off-the-cuff observations were. "No. And he was wrong. It's very important how Harry feels."

"Of course it is," Luna replied. "He's like a friend."

Hermione had been watching as they'd passed each station. The previous stop had been Clapham Junction, so this stop was theirs.

After they got off of the train, Luna asked, "Do you know where Harry will be?"

With a shock Hermione realised that she didn't. Desperately she said, "One of the platforms. One of the fast platforms."

"Do some of the platforms move then?"

Hermione bit her tongue. "A platform where trains go past that aren't stopping here."

"That's silly. He won't catch a train that way. They'll be going too fast." To prove her point, a fast train thundered through the station.

"One of those two platforms, I think," Hermione said.

"Okay. Maybe I'll see you yesterday."

Trying not to allow any tears to fall, Hermione said, "You'd better do it now."

As Luna began to twist the timeturner, Hermione added, "And Luna, look after Harry."

Before she could reply, Luna disappeared.

Author's notes...

** No, I HAVEN'T abandoned Harmony Bond. Check out my two new original stories on fictionpress (dot) com (A Tiny Trickle by brigrove and Florencia at School by brigrove)**

** I've also uploaded two stories on this site for the Hunger Games.**

** I know this first chapter is short, but it seemed the right place to end it. Please review.**

**Brian**

Need help understanding "Britishisms" or avoiding Americanisms? "thesiteofbrian DOT com SLASH cultural" or see link in my profile.

**THE STORY SO FAR**

**Chapter 1 **

**July 1996 **

**Harry commits suicide and a desperate Hermione has to send Luna back to stop him, without telling her what she has to do.**


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